Our story began in the fall of 2021, tied together by an invisible string of fate! Let’s rewind to high school, where Colin and I first crossed paths. It’s crazy to think we were in the same winter formal group but didn’t connect the dots until more than 20 years later. Even more surprising, our families were intertwined in ways we never realized: our moms knew each other, our oldest siblings went to high school and college together, and Colin’s sister-in-law, Brittany, lived next door to my sister, Kara, in the Kappa sorority house at USC.

Our love story officially began on a lovely November day, thanks to the dating app Bumble. A notification popped up from a handsome guy who “super swiped” me, and from there, the real story unfolded. After chatting back and forth on the app, Colin invited me to a concert in LA. I’d never heard of the band, so I quickly looked them up. It wasn’t my preferred taste in music, but I thought, “Why not? It could be a fun date and make for a great story!” Colin was the perfect gentleman—he picked me up at my sister’s house, waited outside the car with the door open, and even had drinks on ice ready for the drive. That night turned out to be so much fun, and I couldn’t wait to see him again. Just four days later, we went on our second date.

As we kept spending time together, I knew there was something truly special about him. By early December, Colin asked me to be his girlfriend, and I couldn’t have been happier. At the time, I was living in LA, and Colin was in Newport, so we navigated a “short-distance, long-distance” relationship, seeing each other almost every weekend. We became inseparable, adventuring together to beaches up and down the coast, exploring the desert, visiting Santa Barbara, Monterey, Utah, Mexico and England!

Fast forward to May 2023, when we took the next big step and moved in together. Then, the following spring, Colin popped the question in the San Jacinto Mountains above Palm Springs. It was the most magical day—the snow was falling, and we couldn’t stop smiling. Our hearts were full of happiness and excitement.

Now, we can’t wait for the next chapter of our lives together! Our little family includes Scout, the sweetest (and sassiest!) hound you’ll ever meet, and Colin’s horse of 18 years, Mr. Smarty. Who would’ve thought I’d be marrying a real cowboy? Lucky me! Between our animals and the beautiful chaos of everyday life, we wouldn’t have it any other way.